New to iPhone, got a question for its users

[Fendi10023]

Hello everyone, this is my first post. I'm enjoying this forum quite a bit and I have a quick question for those of you who've purchased an iPhone on release day before.

I'm planning on getting the iPhone 5s but I won't be able to camp out, or go early in the morning. I'm 17 so I'm going with my mom after she gets off work at about 5pm EST.

Question: How long do supplies last in stores?

I plan on getting it with Sprint, so I can go to either a Sprint store or a Radio Shack store. I've heard iPhone sell out in just a few hours and then you'll have to wait weeks for the next shipment. Is this true?

I mean, with the 5C coming out, Samsung, and others becoming more popular, and the 5S being a "s" model and not a brand new phone, I should be able to get myself a phone, right?

Thanks for any and all responses.

 

[rockyroad55]

That's a little late because there are no preorders this year so the odds of getting a model you want are slim. I would suggest waking up at 12AM PST and buying it online.

 

[bunnicula]

Hello everyone, this is my first post. I'm enjoying this forum quite a bit and I have a quick question for those of you who've purchased an iPhone on release day before.

I'm planning on getting the iPhone 5s but I won't be able to camp out, or go early in the morning. I'm 17 so I'm going with my mom after she gets off work at about 5pm EST.

Question: How long do supplies last in stores?

I plan on getting it with Sprint, so I can go to either a Sprint store or a Radio Shack store. I've heard iPhone sell out in just a few hours and then you'll have to wait weeks for the next shipment. Is this true?

I mean, with the 5C coming out, Samsung, and others becoming more popular, and the 5S being a "s" model and not a brand new phone, I should be able to get myself a phone, right?

Thanks for any and all responses.

It's possible. Nobody here can tell you with absolute certainty, though. All depends on the size/color you want, length of the line, and number of phones each store has been allocated by Apple.

5pm is late, though. I'd say this greatly decreases your chance of success.

 

[Fendi10023]

I want a 16 gig, any color.
Maybe could go at 1pm lunch time if I don't go to school that day.

 

[Nhwhazup]

If your Apple store is out - try your Sprint Store or Best Buy. They all work on first come first serve but I've never experienced lines at my NH Best Buy store. On the release date of the first iPad, my husband walked in at around 5:00 PM and there were only 3 others. I wasn't able to get the color iPhone 5 I wanted last year initially but I didn't go to Best Buy until two days after the release date. So I needed up on a wait list and got it a week and a half later.

Good luck.

 

[jigzaw]

First world problem, I know, but the introduction of the new colors has made it so that I'll need to visit an apple store and look at them before picking. I was firmly planning on the white/silver but the gold is intriguing and the space gray does look cool in the pictures. I'm risking having to wait, but I gotta see these new colors in person.

 

[Kealohilani]

Depends on where you live. I would think your best bet would be the Sprint store. They usually get more stock than places such as Radio Shack and they aren't as popular as the other carriers so they may hold on to their stocks a little longer.

 

[ski2moro]

I want a 16 gig, any color.
Maybe could go at 1pm lunch time if I don't go to school that day.

You would skip school to go to the Apple Store at lunch time on release day with your Mommy.

Time to get your priorities in order.

 

[trek360]

^^^
Yeah, don't skip school....

I don't think anyone can really predict it even if you went earlier. I called my ATT store the day after the 4s launch and they still had 64gb black in stock. You just never know.

If you really have to have one, then you may want to preorder online. Otherwise see what's available at 5pm. Good luck!

 

[eyoungren]

Depends on where you live. I would think your best bet would be the Sprint store. They usually get more stock than places such as Radio Shack and they aren't as popular as the other carriers so they may hold on to their stocks a little longer.

^^^This.

Just be aware that while Sprint is the least popular carrier, the 16GB model is the MOST popular seller. It would be more likely for you to go to a Sprint store and walk out with a 32 or 64GB model.

We just bought my wife a 64GB model three weeks ago. Because it was 64GB and Sprint it had been sitting at the Apple store stockroom since November 2012.